Lessons to be learnt – Young adults and cross-border peace and reconciliation

1. Lessons to be learnt – Young adults and cross-border peace and reconciliation

2. Finding Your Place ( Community Leadership Programme) began in June 2003 and continued with Peace funding until August 2008 and now is funded by the International Fund for Ireland since 01 September 2009 FINDING YOUR PLACEHISTORY AND CONTEXT This project is funded by the International Fund for Ireland and is managed by the Northern Ireland Rural Development Council (RDC) under the Integrating Community Organisations Programme

3. Finding Your Place • Community Leadership Training Programme for young adults • Personal Development, Community Leadership, Reconciliation and Peace Peer Education, Campaigning & Lobbying, and Mentoring Modules • FETAC & OCN accredited

4. COMMENTS OVER THE YEARS! • “I would like to say that I feel both of the courses I participated in were very well organised, co-ordinated and delivered. The passion and knowledge base of all the tutors was exceptional and I really enjoyed being part of the group” • “Each course gave me food for thought on my work practices and gave me confidence“ • “I have become more confident in my approach to tasks, more interested in community matters & more aware” • “Found the training to be very informative, interesting & fun. I was also taught new skills” • “I have gained leadership skills and I’m more confident. I’m ready to go out and make a difference”

5. Lessons from FYP • Course feedback – content relevant to individual participants and communities • Participants – able to share their views and experiences and network appropriately • Confidence – dealing with contentious issues eg sectarianism and greater insight into history and issues relating to the conflict • Difficult to recruit Protestant young adults in Donegal due to migration and cultural groups

6. Quotes from participants on Cross Border Programmes • Was a great opportunity and really enjoyed it. • Enjoyed team-building and was able to talk to everyone and they let me talk. • Just really enjoyable course and nice to meet people on it. Relaxed atmosphere. Gave me skills needed • Learnt a good lot and it built my confidence • Really enjoyed it and very worthwhile. • Pleased about how the course went. Learnt a lot from it and challenged by the issues raised eg ex-prisoners and their past. • Good and at times emotional and I learnt a lot • Very good. Well facilitated. Learnt a lot. Support was good.

7. Family Support Reconciliation & Peace – Donegal and Carrickfergus

8. Outline • Several Family trips for getting to know each other in the two groups – Tower Museum, Derry; Navan Fort and Cathedrals, Armagh; North Antrim coast • Two teen Reconciliation and Peace Peer RAPP training series – Gartan, Derry, Belfast • One Parents RAPP with kids programme alongside – Gartan, Greenhill YMCA, Newcastle

9. Lessons from Peace 3 programme • Participants were able to: • Accept minority groups into their communities; • Have friends who have different political/religious/ideological backgrounds; • Examine their own viewpoints in an open and self-aware manner; • Experience deeper family bonds and sense of connection to each other through quality time spent together and facilitated activities; and • Demonstrate ongoing commitment to the peace and reconciliation process through the completion of training for adults and young people as peace peer educators.

10. Comments • Participant comments included:  • “Felt that the programme was led in a positive and safe manner and I was made to feel comfortable… all parties learnt something they had not known. I enjoyed it very much and made a lot of new friends.” • “Good course, everyone chips in and you learn more than you think. The more people who take part in this type of course would probably reduce sectarianism and racist attitudes.” • “Helped me develop my self-confidence in working with youth in this difficult area.” • “People generally know mostly about own religion and little of the other – just the main things that had got the most publicity.”

11. Evaluation – Staff view • Learnt what works in bringing people together – activities, food, staying overnight • Need to explore alternate model to weekends • Building relationships helps recruitment • Find funders that don’t have administrative…. • Be clear on targeting staff time – admin, recruitment, mentoring, coordination • Recognise transport needs and costs • Very worthwhile doing!! • Mutual cross-border learning about the conflict in the North and the Rossport 4

12. Evaluation – Management view • Be clear on roles and responsibilities even when terms and conditions are outlined • Expect hard work in understanding the ethos and expectations of two separate groups • Lobby for better recognition and transfer between differing qualification systems ie FETAC and OCN • Learn to listen to one another and understand one another’s views and ethos

13. Evaluation – Participants’ views • Will miss everyone involved. Was a great learning experience. Helped me to get skills that will improve my cv and will enhance my employability • It was really good. I learned more about the history, background and issues relating to the Troubles. • Its been a brilliant experience and I have a taken a lot from it. I have learnt a lot about the different type of murals and their meaning and the divide between communities in NI. • Good course, very informative and I feel it is key for what I am looking to do later in life - youth and community work. More keen to help in stopping the conflict

14. Parents And Kids Together insight • The parents discussed the differences between North and South, euro/sterling, education, housing, councils and governments, and political differences. This last topic led to the inevitable discussion of religious backgrounds of the individuals, and people began to swap stories from their own family histories. They discussed such things as mixed religion marriages in years gone by, and how their families reacted at that time, and also how they associated certain things as symbols of the “other” culture, for examples the fife and the bodhran. They also acknowledged that there was a real difference in the way they regarded the other community, but that they did not choose to judge the individual. These conversations highlighted the fact that ordinary people from every background had experienced losses and injustices on both sides of the border, and these experiences were what allowed the animosity towards either group to build up into conflict between communities.

15. End thought At the end of this conversation, they all unanimously agreed that they as parents were now only concerned with avoiding a case of history repeating itself, and they chose to avoid instilling any bigotry in their children, yet not completely disregarding the events of the past.